


Chocolate Love

by pentagons (mon_k)



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Concrete Jungle, Hardworking Changgu, Its really just Yanan and Changgu living their lifes, M/M, Minor Character Sickness, Not quite angst nor fluff, Seoul Au, Slice of Life, They bond over chocolate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 09:51:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18258878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mon_k/pseuds/pentagons
Summary: They met, touched and stared at each other. Well, not exactly in that order, but it was more or less like that.(Alternatively, the one in which Changgu works two jobs to help his sick mom and gets through life thinking about Yanan's smile.)





	Chocolate Love

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shoutout to Nico like always and to Lu who praised the hell out of my shy ass. 
> 
> This whole fic is a product of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etKuJ7ibrvc) video. I gave it my twist and put some plot on it.

They met, touched and stared at each other. Well, not exactly in that order, but it was more or less like that. 

Changgu had a terrible day. But that was to be expected. Since his mom had fallen ill, his days were spent in a haste of arriving on time to his multiple jobs to get his full pay and taking care of his mom. To make matters worse, his dad had left them a while ago and he had no siblings. So basically his mom’s health rested all on his shoulders with an imposing weight. The day he met the boy with the careless smile, he had arrived late to his evening shift in a fast food restaurant and his boss had scolded him greatly. When Changgu had finally been able to leave the restaurant after the end of his shift and had stepped into the Yeoksam subway station, he realized a new store had opened. 

_Lotte_. It read in bright white bold letters. 

Changgu was about to pass by it when he saw that at the right side of the door there was an ad promoting the rebranding of _Ghana_ , his favorite chocolate. After a long second debating whether or not he should go into the store (and after checking that he had enough money to buy the aforementioned chocolate and the train ticket), he decided to allow himself the luxury of buying himself a chocolate. Once inside he nodded to the cashier who ignored him, eyes fixed on her phone. Slowly he scanned the room, through the multiple racks with assorted treats until his eyes landed in the _Ghana_ section. He approached it and was surprised by a whole number of new flavors.

For Changgu to allow himself some chocolate was such a rare occurrence that he had to debate seriously which flavor he should pick. He stood there for what felt like hours and then decided for the classic milk chocolate, thinking about his mom and how she liked milk chocolate too. When he extended his hand to grab the chocolate, a large hand appeared inside his vision field, reaching out for the same chocolate, hands brushing. Changgu looked to his right, towards the owner of the hand and was welcomed by a big smile and a polite ‘sorry’. If Changgu noticed the slight accent in the stranger's voice, he didn’t mention it. The tall stranger bowed again and turned towards the rack on the right and picked another brand of chocolate in a cute haste, leaving Changgu’s heart thumping like crazy. _That must be nice,_ he thought after seeing the other boy not giving a second glance to the price of the chocolate. 

After paying the stranger left as fast as he came in and the cashier returned to her phone until Changgu approached her to pay for his sweet. Chocolate in hand, he exited the store and went to grab his train before it was too late, wondering which way the stranger went with his warm smile and soft hands.

Changgu was left in awe for the rest of the night. You see living in Seoul was great. An awesome mega city that never slept, filled with the brightest colors, the fastest trains, the biggest ads, but also the greatest impersonality. A phenomenon that could be extremely tiring for someone that spent his days like Changgu. Alone. The biggest city in Korea worked like a well-oiled machine, never stopping, never giving a second glance at the other inhabitants. People spent their days inside their own personal realities, created by themselves for themselves. So, the boy who had always been a little more down to earth and aware of his surroundings suffered to catch a breath of fresh air that came from time to time in the way of the smiley stranger. 

 

That night he went to bed with a big smile realizing that perhaps there were still people like him out there.

 

The next day went by without a hitch, which was a strange occurrence on Changgu’s part. He arrived on time to his shift in the daycare, watched kids until midday and then left for the subway. He passed by the _Lotte_ store but decided against getting another chocolate. After all, the end of the month was approaching, which meant he had to restock his mom’s medicines. A quick image flashed in his mind. Perhaps the smiley boy was inside the _Lotte_ store. Perhaps if he stepped in he could get some fresh air. But he checked the hour and realized he was a little bit late for work, so he left sprinting towards the train terminal.

 

A couple months passed by before he got another chocolate. 

His mom was showing no signs of recovery, but she had finally received a bed in the state hospital. So her treatment was going to start any day. Changgu had quit his job in the fast food chain because it was way too tiring and too demanding. He had just gotten out of an interview with the manager of a small library inside the Yeoksam station, called Jinho when he passed again by the Lotte store and decided to buy some chocolate. He was pretty content with how the interview went and he figured with all the things happening with his mom, it wouldn’t hurt anybody to treat himself. 

Inside the store, he went to the shelf where the _Ghanas_ were. This time, after a shorter debate compared to last time, he chose the dark one. He needed some cacao in his life to wake him up a bit. Just at the same time, he grabbed the chocolate, a hand collided with his. He turned to see the owner of the hand not quite believing but hoping it would be the smiley stranger. He was welcomed by a tall kid with a baby face, who raised an eyebrow at him. Changgu, a bit intimidated by the height of the kid, let the chocolate go and grabbed the one next to it, hurrying to pay for it. 

When he exited the store in a haste, he didn’t notice a very familiar stranger standing by the electronic ad on the wall, that was displaying some sweet.

 

In the span of a couple of days, he got the answer from Jinho saying he had gotten the job and asking if he could start the following day. Changgu was ecstatic. He had really enjoyed the interview with the manager and he liked books so it was going to be a blast of a part-time job. He told his mom the good news and she congratulated her son with a huge smile on her face.

The next afternoon he got out extra early of his job at the daycare, to arrive on time to his shift at the library and, for once, the city seemed to be filled with fresh air. The people suddenly didn’t seem that bad and he didn’t feel so alone. On the train to the Yeoksam station, he stared at the billboards each time the train stopped at a station and the colors of the city became a bit brighter and he thought about them as less artificial. When Changgu stepped into the library his happiness multiplied so much that even his boss stared at him with a grin, welcoming to the small shop. He was overall and for the first in a long time genuinely happy.

 

It was on the second week into his new job that first felt that he could become good friends with Jinho. He was reading a novel about family and the way the choices of the protagonists affected generations to come, when the bell at the door chimed, signaling the entrance of a new customer. He put the book down and looked up only to see a mop of blonde hair in between the aisles. He watched the boy for a couple of minutes before he picked a book and brought it to the cashier to pay it. 

“Oh hey,” greeted the blonde boy. “You are new, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, where is Jinho?” The boy took out his wallet. 

“Right here, brat,” said the man in question climbing down the stairs. “Where are the honorifics?”

“Left them at home with mom.” He made grabby hands at Jinho, who handed him his debit card.

“Changgu, be a sweetheart and give him my discount.”

Changgu who had been watching this whole exchange without a word nodded and passed the card.

“I am Hyojong, by the way. Jinho- _hyung_ ’s brother,” Hyojong said ‘hyung’ loudly. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m-”

“Changgu, I know,” interrupted the blonde boy. Before turning to Jinho. “See you later bro.”

After the blonde hurricane disappeared through the door, the older sighed audibly. 

That night, when they were closing the store, Jinho asked Changgu if he wanted to go for drinks with him, Hyojong and some other friends. As much as Changgu would have liked to, he had a job to attend in the morning so he politely declined.

 

The happiness did not only last for quite some time but also grew. It was one particular night, around three months later, when Changgu had just gotten out of the library that his phone beeped, signaling an incoming call. He picked up the phone in a haste when he recognized the number of the hospital.

“Mister Yeo, please come to the hospital. We have some news for you.” 

Those words made him recall the first time his mom had passed out on the kitchen floor. He didn’t think it was possible to feel more dread than what he felt at that moment. Well, he was wrong. He hung the phone and his body was suddenly shaking with a wave of panic and worry. He got out of Yeoksam and hailed a taxi. His resolve to save money could go to hell. He needed to get to the hospital fast.

“Please hurry, sir,” he told the driver, angst dripping from his voice.

The man, who seemed to understand the situation took some shortcuts and got to Yaksu-dong in no time. Changgu, still in a haste, paid the driver, thanked him and flew out of the car and into the hospital. 

“Excuse me, I am here to see Yeo Seohyun,” he said to the receptionist. “Doctor Park called me, he said it was urgent.”

The woman gave him a pass and the boy headed to the elevator. He walked as fast as it was permitted and finally got to his mom’s room. Inside she was wide awake laughing at something doctor Park had said.

“Mom?” 

“Oh, Changgu, dear,” she smiled at her boy.

“Should I tell him Seohyun-ssi?” asked the doctor and her mom nodded.

“Changgu, we just got the results from the lab of the last treatment.” He made a long pause and look at his mom. “It seems your mom is recovering, Changgu. We believe in a couple of weeks she will be out of the hospital and by next year she will able to return to her life prior to the sickness.”

He stared at the doctor for some time and then at his mom. Then back at the doctor not quite believing what he was hearing. He didn’t notice tears had started to stream down his face until doctor Park reached out to hug him and pat him in the back. 

“Come here, angel.” His mom reached out for him and Changgu precipitated straight into her arms. 

“Mom,” he sobbed.

Seohyun whispered sweet words to his ear. Both were so endorsed in their hug that neither seemed to notice doctor Park smiling fondly and slipping out of the room. 

That night Changgu stayed with his mom at the hospital and after a couple weeks, just like the doctor had promised, Seohyun was out of the hospital showing incredible signs of improvement. 

 

During the following months, the boy split his time between work and attending his mom, who slowly needed less and less care. All his life Changgu had taken pride in being a strong man, always knowing what needed to be done and doing it without a complaint. Being raised in a single parent household, he had learned all of that resolve from the woman in front of him. So when Seohyun got even better and the doctors allowed her to stop taking some pills, she sat on the couch with Changgu and hugged him. The boy had just gotten back home from work looking exhausted and his mom had told him that there was no need for him to keep working two jobs. She also told the boy how sorry she was for putting her young son under so much pressure for so long. They spent the rest of the evening opening their hearts and catching up on everything they had missed from the other. Changgu not wanting to burden her mom, who was fighting for her life and Seohyun trying to bury the guilt she had been feeling since she was told she could no longer work.

The happiness in his home and in his mind started to bubble up again, filling him with excitement even for the smallest things like the walk between his house and the library or watching the grass that grew in the cracks of the asphalt. Just like his mom had told him, he had quit the daycare that morning. Because, as much as he enjoyed being with the kids, he needed some time for himself. After all, last night’s conversation had made him realize many things. He was indeed pushed to grow up at an alarming speed. And he had worked his ass off out of pure love for his mom but now he needed space to figure himself and his future out. 

They knew money was going to be a bit tight until his mom got back to work but with extra hours at the library and frugal living, they could make it work. That obviously meant no Ghanas and no smiley stranger, which made Changgu sad.

(At that moment he realized he was probably idealizing his memory of the boy but in a jungle like Seoul you ought to hold on to any lifeline you got.)

 

Once November rolled in and winter came by, Changgu was surprised by life yet again. 

“Changgu-yah, I was wondering if you’d like to go out for some drinks,” asked Jinho again when they were closing the library. “It’s just that my birthday is close and my friends and I are meeting today. Hyo will be there too, and his boyfriend.”

After a quick text to his mom and an apology to Jinho for not knowing when his birthday was he accepted. The men took a cab and in no time they were in a small, local bar. Jinho greeted the man by the door animatedly, who lead them to their table. Changgu first saw the mop of blonde hair that he knew belonged to Hyojong and the man next to him, who had an arm slung over the blonde boy. As they approached he noticed one more person at their table, but he couldn’t see his face. Hyojong and the other man shuffled to the left to give Changgu some space to seat, while Jinho sat next to the stranger and in front of them. The boys congratulated Jinho, who ruffled the stranger’s hair. 

“Everyone, this is Changgu,” started Jinho. “Changgu these are Hwitaek, Hyojong’s boyfriend and Wooseok.” He pointed at the stranger. 

Changgu took in the boy’s features slowly. Somehow he seemed a bit familiar. 

“Anyone knows where Yanan is?” asked Jinho. 

“He said he was going to be here in any minute,” answered Wooseok checking his phone, while Jinho chatted with Hwitaek.

Changgu, on the other hand, stared at the door, eyes widening by the second because right there, coming into the bar was the smiley boy from so many months ago. The world around him seemed to drown in water, eyes fixed on the boy’s bright smile like the first time they had crossed paths. He was about to get up to somehow talk to the boy when Hyojong next to him broke his concentration. 

“Yanan, here!” yelled the blonde boy and to Changgu’s shock, the smiley stranger approached the table. 

“Jinho-ge! Happy birthday!” said the newcomer with a heavy Chinese accent and his smile turning brighter if that was even possible. 

“Just in time, Yanan,” the older man moved to let Yanan take a seat next to him. “I was just introducing Changgu.”

The boy in question flushed a bit bowed slightly. “Hi,” he said with a small voice.

“Hey,” the stranger said with some kind of tenderness in his voice. “We have met before, haven’t we?” 

Changgu nodded once, looking at the Chinese boy through his lashes, suddenly feeling impossibly shy.

“Oh! I remember! We met at the _Lotte_ store like months ago. Sorry I tried to snatch your chocolate,” he said with a laugh.

“Oh no, you didn’t,” dismissed Changgu, not quite believing the smiley stranger had remembered him. 

“Did I miss something?” asked Wooseok.   
Yanan laughed and started telling the friends the events at the _Lotte_ store that day. 

 

And between laughter and soju, in a rather small corner of the world, Changgu finally found a reality to call his own. He found his fresh air in the big, intimidating Seoul. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so helplessly alone anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the moon and back for finishing this. It was really cathartic for me to write this and it means a lot for me that you read it.
> 
> You can always talk to me in [tumblr](http://augustds.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/mon_k6).


End file.
